ulwiann



c. J. ULMANN.

CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. B, 1911.

1,303,994. Patented May 20, 1919.

2 $HEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES WWW MEL J UL AMA/N CARL J'. ULMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented May 20, 1919.

Application filed March 8, 1917. Serial No. 153,245.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL J. ULMANN, a citi- Zen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

'My invention relates to chairs and more particularly to that type thereof commonly known as reclining or tilting chairs and has for its object to provide a chair which may be shifted to and from a tilted or reclining position with a minimum of effort and which, when in its tilted position comfort ably supports all parts of the anatomy. A further object is to provide a chair construction in which the seat, in all positions of the chair,'is located at a comfortable height above the floor and in a position of maximum comfort to the person sitting in the chair. A further object of my improvement is to provide a chair of the indicated type with a foot rest which is readilv and automatically adjustable to comfortably accommodate the feet of persons of varying height. My invention further contemplates the provision of an efiicient means whereby said foot rest is automatically actuated as the chair is shifted to and from a reclining or tilted position. .Other objects of my improvement will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty thereof will be pointed out in the appended claims. 4 y

In the accompanying drawings which, for illustrative and descriptive purposes, show an example of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved chair; Fig. 2 is a vertical section showing said chair in one position; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the chair in its tilted position; Fig. 3 is a front elevation and Fig. 4: is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. 7 As shown in the illustrated example the chair comprises a seat member 5 constructed for instance in the form of a frame and provided with a cane or other seat 6 to complete the seatof the chain. A back frame 7 extends upwardly from. the rear portion of seat member 5 preferably at a somewhat obtuse angle thereto and may similarly be provided with a cane or other back 8 to complete the back of the chair. The frame 7 may either form a continuation cf the seat member 5 or be secured thereto and in either case has the upper ends of its side members preferably projected upwardly and forwardly for instance along curved lines as indicated at 9 to form supports'for a head restlO secured in position in, any suitable manner. At its front portion the seat member 5 is provided with a depending frame 11 extending downwardly and preferably forwardly at an inclination to said seat member 5 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The depending frame 11 'isformed either as an integral part of said seat member or attached thereto in any suitable manner and in the illustrated example is also provided with caning or the like 12.

I The chair further comprises side frames having members 13 suitably attached to the seat member 5 and continuing members 14 extending upwardly and suitably connected with theback frame 7 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Inaddition, the side frames are formed with depending supports 15 and 16 respectively, the former being suitably secured to the depending frame 11 and the latter preferablyforming continuations of the members 13 and 15. If desired additional supports 17 may depend from the members 13 at intermediate points, said supports 17 comprisingeither integral portions of the members 13 or being suitably attached thereto as may. be preferred. At their lower ends the supports 15, 16 and 17 are combined eitherintegrally or otherwise with supporting rails '18 upon which the chair rests as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The said rails 18 are each formed at their lower edges with straight front end portions 19 and straight rear end portions 20, the portions 19 and 20 being connected by intermediate curved portions 21 which extend in circular arcs described about points a corresponding or registering approximately to and with the combinedcenter of gravity of the chair and of the average occupant. In the empty chair the-center of gravity'is somewhat forward of the centers about which the curved portions 21 extend, so that said chair when empty will always remain in an upright position. Inthe preferred form the supporting rails 18 are con: nected at their rear ends by a transverse bar 22 which mav be curved as shown or otherwise shaped and which may be combined with said rails in any suitable manner. chair may farther include am rests 23 supported at their front portions for instance upon supports 24 extending up from the members 13, said arm rests having their rear ends, for instance, suitably connected with the back frame 7. If desired those portions of the back frame 7 which are adjacent to the arm rests 23 may beof relatively increased width as indicated at 7* to form comfortable rests for the upper arms of a. person sitting in the chair.

As shown in the drawings guideways 25 are located inside of and adjacent to the front depending frame 11 for the accommodation of slides 26'which have their lower ends secured to and carry a foot rest 27 6X- tending transversely across the chair as shown in Figs. 3 and 4; the slides 26 are preferably connected by means of a cross-bar or the like 28. As shown in Fig. 1 the foot rest 27 may be wedge-shaped in cross-section and with the chair in the position shown in said figure, rests upon the floor or other surface upon which the chair is standing, the parts being combined and the chair being constructed so that this result or an equivalent one is secured without interference with the intended upright position of said chair. In any case, the foot rest 27 preferably extends forwardly beyond the depending front frame 11 so as to be easily available for its intended purposes at all times. Any suitable means may be provided vfor bringing about an automatic operation of the foot rest in the intended manner. For instance, as shown in the illustrated example, the arrangement may include links 29 which at one end are pivotally. connected at 30 to the foot rest 27 or to lugs 31 carried thereby, and which at their other ends are pivotally connected at 32 with actuating members 33. The latter are carried by a rod 34 rotatably mounted in the desired and proper location, as for instance by being .journaled in bearings 35 secured to or forming part of the supporting rails 18, said rod being provided with a recess 36 extending axially inward from one end as shown inFig. 4. A torsional acting spring 36 is located within said recess 36 and has its one end secured at 36 within an aperture 18 formed in the one rail 18 and its other end secured at 36 to the rod 34; the exposed end of the aperture 1 8 may be closed for instance by means of a suitable button 34 inwhich case a similar button 34 is secured to the other rail 18 at the corresponding point in order to balance the design and produce a proper finish. The actuating members 33 may be fastened to the rod 34 in any desired manner as for lnstanceby providing pins 33*, each of which is arranged to pass through a radial aperture formed in each member 33 and adapted to register with a. corresponding radial aperture formed in the rod 34. With this arrangement, it will. be seen that the spring 36 exerts a torsional tension tending to rowith this arrangement the rod 34 may be rotated to twist the spring 36 until the desired tension has been secured therein after which the pins 33 may be inserted to secure the rod 34 and members 33 against relative movement.

It will of course be understood that the 1 above construction is only an example and that other arrangements producing equivav lent results may be substituted if desired,

The actuating members 33 are formed with forwardly extendin shoes 37 and are continued beyond the tu be 34 in the form of rearwardly extending shoes 38; in order to increase the rigidity of the construction the shoes 37' may be connected with each other by means of a cross-bar 39, while the shoes 38 are preferably connected by means of a cross-bar 40. The shoes'37 and38 which in practice preferably form integral parts of units each comprising an actuating member 33, a shoe 3.7 and a shoe 38, are arranged to engage the floor or other surface upon which the chair is standing, for thepurpose to be more fully described hereinafter.

In the forward or upright position of the chair, it rests upon the straight front portions 19 of the rails 18, with the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 1. The said rails 18 are so proportioned and solocated in the chair that the points atwhich the straight portions 19 terminateor connect with the curved portions 21 are in substantial registry, in a vertical direction with the points a which represent the centersof the arcs dc? scribedby said curved portions 21 and which correspond or register approximately to and with the center of gravity of the chair when occupied. The chair is thus supported in its forward or upright. position and yet may be readily tilted the moment a person sits therein and leans against the back 7, this tilting operation being inconseque'nce accomplished without any visible effort on the part of said person and being substantially automatic. The tilting movement of the chair continues upon the curved portions 21 until the chair, the points a, or,in other words, the approximate center of gravity of the chair moves rearwardly in asubstantially straight line in a horizontal plane, this being due to the fact that the centers of the curved portions 21 register substantially with this J point. The parts are so'proportioned and located with respect to each other that in said tilted-position the points at whichrthe rear portions connect with the curved portions 21 are also in substantial registry in a vertical direction with the points a in' their new positions. Owing to thisYfact, it is possible to return the chair'to its: forward or upright position without any great effort being necessary on the part of theperson is in either position and more particularly when it is in its upright position. In other words, anyone coming into unintentional contact with said rails 18, near their rear end portions, either in the dark or otherwise, will simply slide'orpass along said cross-bar 22 without injury and without tripping; I o

In addition to the above, if the construction is of the type illustrated, as the chair is tilted a pressure will be exerted upon the rear shoes 38, which, being held againstdownward movement by the surface upon which the chair isresting, will in consequence rotate the tube 34, thus placing the spring 36 I under a torsional tension orincreasing the tension thereof as the case may be.- This rotation of th tube 34 wi-llcause the actuating members 38 to swing downwardly, which in turn will exert a downward pressure upon the links 29-whereby the foot rest 27 will be forced downwardly, to a positioniwhich facilitates inserting the feet between the frame 11 and rest 27 so as to afford acomfortable rest for the feet of the person using the I chair. During this operation the slides26 travel downwardly in the guides 25, while the front shoes 37 may be'raised from the floor or other surface as shown inFig. 2. The foot rest 27 is thus under a spring ten sion tending to raise it, and may'thus be automatically adjusted to a position of maximum comfort'to the person sitting in the chair without regard to the length of the lower leg portions of said'person.

As the chair is returned to its forward or upright position the forward shoes 37 will engage'the floor or other surface in advance of the foot rest 27 and will thus raise it against any force'exerted by the feet of the person using the chair, this action'being assisted by the spring 36. The saidfootrest 27 is thus prevented from engaging the floor or other surface asthe chair is tilted forwardly and assuming that the feet of the person in the chair remain in position thereon, whereby the danger of subjecting the slides 26 to a bending strain as the chair is swung forwardly is avoided. If the person in the chair removes his feet from said foot rest the spring 36 will return said foot rest to its normal position, thisoperation ofthe spring taking place at any time after, and the moment the feet are removed from said foot rest. 1

It will be seen that with my improved construction the chair seat maybe positioned at a comfortable height from the floor or other surface and that the center of gravity isj'maintained at a comparatively lowpoint at all times, thus giving stability to the chair and avoiding the danger of overturning thereof and injury to the person sitting therein.- Furthermore, the chair may be brought from one position to the other without material effort on'the part of said person and in its tilted position supports all parts of the anatomy in positions of maximum comfort and relieves any part of the body from excessive strain. In addition, the chair is simple in construction and not likely to become disarranged and maybe readily carried or moved from place to place.

In some cases the foot rest 27 and its cooperating parts may be omitted, the depending frame 11, in such instances, being relied upon to comfortably support the lower legs of the person sitting in said chair. It will, of course, be understood that the chair may be suitably upholstered and that the details of construction and the particular form or design thereof may be varied in any desired manner or to meet the specific requirements of any particular use to which the chair is to be put. 7 j

My improved construction provides an ideal rest chair which has many uses and which in addition may comprise aninv'alid chair havingmany and decided advantages.

Various changes in the specific form shown and described maybe made within the'scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim: 7 I I l. A tilting chair comprising a fixed seat, a back and means on which said chair is supported in a stationary, positive upright position independent of any force exerted by the seat and in a stationary, positive tilted position independent of any force exerted by said seat and upon which said chair is tilted to and from said positions," said means extending continuously from the front to the back of the chair and being shaped to cause the center of gravity of the occupied chair to move in substantially straight horizontal lines as the chair isltilted from onetposition to another. i

2. A tilting'chair comprising a fixed seat,

aback a'ndsupporting means extending con- I tinuous ly from the front to the back of the chair and comprising front members where: by the chair is supported in a stationary, positive-upright position independent of any force exerted by the seat and continuing rear members whereby said chair is supported in a stationary, positive tilted position inde. pendent of any force exerted by the seat.

3. A tilting chair comprising a fixed seat, a back and supporting rails extending from the front to the back, ofthe chair and comprising straightforward end portions on Whichsaid chair-is supported in a stationary, positive upright position independent of any force exerted. by the seat, straight rear end portion'son which said chair is supported in a stationary, positive tilted position inde-, pendent of any force exerted by-the seat, and connecting curved portions on which said chair is tilted to and from said positions, said curved portions extending in arcs of, circles having centers registering approxi-. mately withthe center of gravity of said chair when occupied.v

4. A tilting chair comprising a seat, a back, supporting-rails on which said chair is supported andtilted', an adjustable foot rest and means whereby said foot rest is automatie cally moved rectilineally toward and away from said. seat as the chair is tilted from one position to another. v

5. A tilting chair comprising a seat, a back, supporting railson which said chair is supported and tilted, an adj ustable foot'rest, a spring exerting a tension tending to raise said'foot rest toward its normallposition and means for positively moving said foot rest downwardly to an operative position against the tension ofsaid spring as, the chair is tilted backward. I

6. A tilting chair comprising a seat, a back, supporting means on which said chair is supported and tilted, a foot rest adjustable in rectilineal directions, actuating members operatively connected with said foot rest and shoes operatively combined with said actuating members whereby said foot rest is adjusted rectilineally as the chair is tilted backward.

moving said foot rest to an operative posia.

tion against the tension of said spring as the chair is tilted backward'and means for positively raising said foot'rest toward its normal position as said chair is tilted for: wardly; r

v8. A tilting chair comprising-a seat, a back, supporting-rails on which said chair is supported-and tilted, means slidably mountedbeneath said seat, a foot-restcar-i riedby said sliding means, actuating members, links connecting said actuating'mem-v bers with said, foot rest, shoes operatively combined with said actuating members whereby saidfoot rest is movedtoan opera: tive position as the-chair is tilted backward and additional shoes-operatively combined with said actuating members whereby .-,said

foot rest is-moved toward its normal-position -as'said chair is tilted-forwardly. v 9.. A tiltingchair-comprising seat, a

back, supporting railson-which saidi chair -y said actuating members'whereby' said foot rest is moved toward its normal position as said chai'ris tilted forwardly'and a spring for causing said foot rest to follow any ad,-v justment of the feet of the person sitting in thechair. c. v

10. A tilting chair comprising a seat,-a back, supporting rails comprising straight forward and rear end' positions and connecting ourvedportions extending in arcs of circles having centers registering approxiw mately-with the-center of gravity of said chair, a frontmember depending from said seat to, said rails and 7 provided. with -guide-. ways, slides movable in said guidewa'ys, a foot rest carried by said slides, actuating members pivotally mounted below said seat, links connecting said actuating. members with said footrest, a spring'whereby said foot rest is, moved 1 toward its 7 normal position, rearwardly extending shoes operatively combined with said actuating members for moving said foot toan operative position against-the tension of saidspring, and forwardly extending shoes operatively'combined with saidactuating members for moving said foot rest toward its normal position whereby contact between said footrest in an operative position and the surface upon which the chair is resting'is prevented as the latter is tilted forwardly, 4 Y

In testimony whereof. I have hereunto set myhand, v

GARL J. ULMANN.

0921016! thin in s ina b ob mil fsm five wi s e h, by addres in the. Gommissiqnem:Batista, Washington, D. 0, 

